What is th most emotionally difficult thing about your job?

[BlondGirl]

I really enjoy learning about the diversity that is represented here and I would like to get some idea of the difficulties we face in our professions.

As a health care worker, I have seen many heartbreaking things and could write booksfull of the experiences. My most recent heart ache is an elderly whiney patient who drives us nuts and, because of this, we have to take most of her complaints with a grain of salt.
(Side note: When your chart has to be held together with rubber bands and it is not due to any major illness, your whiney-ness is risking your health! Just a word of warning for anyone out there.)
This patient came in last spring with a cough. She was x-rayed and looked fairly normal. A bit congested. Still had the cough last fall, x-rayed again--looked like she had a touch of pneumonia. Her cough did not go away. Of course, this is the WORST season for flu and bronchitis this year. The patient, being her usual self, was complaining about everything. At least one call per week about something--not always the cough. (Her adult daughter is the same way--she is not happy unless she is sick and seeing some specialist for something.)
We had her x-rayed again last week. There is a huge white spot next to her heart. It is scary. But could be pneumonia in a nasty way. I called a friend in a lung specialist's office and begged her to talk her doc into looking at them then drove the films over there. He called and told me to order a CT. Then called me the next day to tell me he is taking her as a patient and will scope her. (Push a camera into her lungs)
She has cancer.
She keeps asking me, "Do you think I have cancer? I hope not." She asks this all the time about everything that is wrong with her. She always has.
I just tell her that we don't know yet and will have to wait until the lung doctor says what is going on. There is no reason to start her worrying and new fears yet. Not when the diagnosis is not final and treatment options for her to decide from have yet to be formulated.

As much as she bugs me and makes so many demands for so many things, my heart hurts for what she is about to be going through emotionally.

Oh, and one more funny thing about this patient, if I run into her in the grocery store, she won't acknowledge me at all. It makes me laugh under my breath every time.

 

[Phoenyx]

having to have sex with all those hot women at work.

 

[alltherage]

When my dad was dying last year he was transferred to a hospice. He lived seven days in that facility, all of them unconscious. I spent hours and hours there and I am left with such a warm memory of those health care workers. It was a peaceful and respectful place and I saw more dignity their than in just about any place I can think of. I admire anyone who works with the sick. The price you pay in wounds to your heart must be enourmous.

As for me. The hardest part of my job comes when I see a student in trouble and there is no immediate course of action to help them. It is hard to get the powers that be to respond to a hunch even today and if you ask the questions that need to be asked you can loose the students trust. Thank god this situation does not present itself everyday.

 

[Wiggles]

This is about my last job. I worked at a restraunt where a lot of old folks would come in everyday. They think of us as family.

I would get to know many of our customers by first name, hear about their lives, what's going on.

The only sad part about it, as I'm sure any job that deals with the elderly, is when they pass, or go into the hospital.

When one passes, I'm not really upset by that. It's natural occurence. What really upsets me is seeing their life long mates go through the turmoil and upset of not having their other half there. It breaks my heart to see the other side of that booth empty. (Is that sappy?)

It makes me think of that sadness they must have. The aloneness. And the fear they carry with them when their loved one is in the hospital. Will this be it?

And of course on a lesser scale, the rude, lewd Mexican dishwashers. But we won't go into that.

 

[BlondGirl]

Alltherage,
Is it harder to get the wheels of action rolling with the current fashion of political correctness? What is usually the biggest obstacle? I would expect it is parental apathy or arrogance.



Edited to remove the excessively lame attempt at a joke.

 

[Prime]

the whole nearly getting killed thing. that isn't easy on a guy.

 

[carrie-on]

I have worked in a few nursing homes and the most heart breaking thing was seeing the elders being so lonely. Our local hospital and nursing home are attached and we had an elder lady in the NH and I never saw any of her family come to visit her in the 3 yrs I worked there. About 2 months later I was talking to one of the nurses who had worked in the hospital at least as long as I did. She mentioned that her Grandma used to be in the NH,but she passed away. I asked her who it was and when she told me, I wanted to slap her. It was the elder lady from above. I couldn't believe it when she told me she had never visited her and she was right there at least 4 days a week. To this day,I have no respect for this woman as a person, let alone a nurse.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Dealing with the pressure. I must maintain a 2.75 to keep my major and a 2.50 to maintain my funding. That's stressful because the only place to go from here is *shuddering* Wallyhell.

 

[nasty]

Being a People Greeter at Walmart can get rather boring, when it's slow, and, I wanna pull my hair out. And, when it's busy, it can be too much, and I wanna pull my hair out.

 

[39_Keeper]

not posting

not posting

 

[Lady_Sam]

Working customer service, we get to deal with a lot of irate customers. After all, its not a happy customer who generally calls in. 8 out of 10 will be angry about something. Well being in customer service, we have to help them, no matter how rude, crude and/or abusive they may be. I had a lady call me every four letter word she could think of for answering her call and asking "How may I help you "ma'am"." Its very emotionally draining to take call after call of abusive people. Half the time I wonder if they would talk to their mother this way? I mean why is it ok to talk to us this way?

 

[Ayaka]

Oh, and one more funny thing about this patient, if I run into her in the grocery store, she won't acknowledge me at all. It makes me laugh under my breath every time.

Yes, why is that?

 

[nasty]

I hear that. A few months ago, a guy came up to Customer Service Desk, and, asked for something. The employee couldn't help him,(just because of policy,)and, the guy turns around, and, whispers, "Stupid fucking bitch." Turns out, the guy tried to get help from another employee, and, she couldn't help him, either. So...guess what he called her? And, I just love the people that come in and complain about the fact that you have to actually push our door open. I mean, COME ON!!!!!!! How fucking lazy can ya be? THEN...there's the customers I hold the door open for,(aren't I sweet,)and, they see it. BUT! Use the other damn door. HELLO!

 

[BlondGirl]

Keeper,

I understand about people not even acknowledging your extra efforts.

We have one patient who needed to see a specialist. She has gone wierd in a way that is frightening. Her job is one that she has to be completely "perfect" for (my presence here would disqualify me from her job, so would my fetishes and my credit rating among other things). I feel for the woman. I have gone way out of my way to set up appointments for her. There was one that we tried to set up with the best specialist she needs to see. Her ins screwed up and we had to send her elsewhere. Then her ins changed again and she could see this specialist. I called over there to ask a question one afternoon and was told there was a cancellation the next morning and did we have a patient who wanted the appointment. I said YES and asked her to not give the appmt to anyone until I called her back then called my patient's house. Her husband answered and I excitedly told him, he called her at work and she called back adn promised me she'd be there at 10 am the next morning. I finalized the stuff and stayed an hour late faxing her stuff and doing the insurance dance. I just left the charting on my desk to do the next morning.

At 9 am, I was charting and decided to call and remind her. She anwered and told me she was not going to go. I told her "okay, do you want to call and cancel or do you want me to?" She PROMISED to call herself.

At 1 pm, we got a fax from the specialist that the patient had no showed. It takes about 2 months to be able to get in to see this specialist. And this patient of mine fucked up someone else's chance to have a spedy consult.

Not only did the patient screw herself in that we will not lift a single extra finger for her again, but she also screwed up our standing with that doctor and it will take a while to get back in her good graces. Now we do not get preferential status and I am greeted coldly when I call to set up patient consults. This is the best doc in her field in our town.

Every time I see that patient now, I want to spit on her.

 

[freakygirl]

The employee couldn't help him,(just because of policy,)and, the guy turns around, and, whispers, "Stupid fucking bitch." Turns out, the guy tried to get help from another employee, and, she couldn't help him, either. So...guess what he called her?

He asked two employees for help.. and neither could help? why? what policy keeps the employees from helping customers? Isn't this their job?

 

[BlondGirl]

BECAUSE:

quote:
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Originally posted by BlondGirl

Oh, and one more funny thing about this patient, if I run into her in the grocery store, she won't acknowledge me at all. It makes me laugh under my breath every time.
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Yes, why is that?

Yes, why is that?

(I am wondering if you read that at all...)
This patient is such a fucking snot. She wants all the attention ALL the time. But when I am encountered anywhere else, I am dogshit. I am only good to her when she can use me.
I can be angry at people like that or laugh at their arrogance or pity them. With her, I find it humorous. Especially if we have both JUST left the office and I am running into her on my lunch break. I am just a whore to her--there for her when she wants to pay for my services me and nonexistant otherwise.

 

[nasty]

He asked two employees for help.. and neither could help? why? what policy keeps the employees from helping customers? Isn't this their job?

I can't quite remember what happened other than that. Although, it probably had something to do with a return. He probably just didn't have a receipt, so, we couldn't tell if he actually bought the thing at our store. I mean...that's policy everywhere, isn't it? Employees don't make the rules.

 

[freakygirl]

I can't quite remember what happened other than that. Although, it probably had something to do with a return. He probably just didn't have a receipt, so, we couldn't tell if he actually bought the thing at our store. I mean...that's policy everywhere, isn't it? Employees don't make the rules.

The WalMarts here must be different. If you don't have the receipt they will exhange or give you a gift card for an equal amount (as long as the original tags are still attached). You don't get cash back unless you have a receipt.

 

[39_Keeper]

not posting

not posting

 

[nasty]

The WalMarts here must be different. If you don't have the receipt they will exhange or give you a gift card for an equal amount (as long as the original tags are still attached). You don't get cash back unless you have a receipt.

Actually, I remember what it is, now. It had something to do with checking his credit. Why he thought to go to Walmart for help, who know? I think he wanted the employee to tap into our computer, and, look at his personal information. It was something lik that. You're right. Our Walmarts have that same policy. I shoulda known that

 

[BlondGirl]

can i ask a question -- is this Thread a way of self therapy?

I like to think that every moment here at Lit is some sort of self therapy.

(In reality, there are 4 patients who have been on my mind all evening. 2 came in for consults that I am the most expert person in the clinic in this subject due to personal experience. One is the elderly woman with CA, and the other is a patient that I promised I would be on time at work for in the morning bright and early! She is getting a peculiar exam and I am tagged to do it. I suppose that the reason I am vocalizing about work here is because my mind has not yet left the office.
As I re-read the last paragraph, I am wondering if my constant inability to separate my work from my self makes me better at my job or if it hinders me. I might just need some sort of sex job afterall!!!!!)

 

[JazzManJim]

I"ve been a police dispatcher for the last 13 years.

I have horror stories that'd make me cry. They've done it to me, for damned sure.

Car wrecks, homicides, domestic abuse, assaults, shootings, and the ever-present stupid shit that people perpetrate on people all the time in casual ways like they don't even know they're doing it.

You track up to a couple dozen officers through their days, regardless of what they handle. A study done about five years ago by the University of North Carolina showed that the average officer goes through one adrenaline surge on an average day. A dispatcher goes through one such surge per officer per day.

Then, on the other hand, there are the people who simply forget that every single day, you deal with people at their worst and expect you to be Mr. Johnny Sunshine when they have questions they could answer with even the simplest effort (like, you know, looking out the window to see if it's snowing, or opening a phone book or calling 411 to get a phone number).

There's rarely a "thank you" to be had, from either the public at large or your own co-workers, regardless of how "beyond the call" you actually go. Should you make a mistake, though, and all hell will break loose. Count on it.

There's so little margin for error that you can easily spend all your time twanging like a bowstring just thinking about it. The easy casual of an experience dispatcher is an acquired effort and not everyone can develop it.

The national burnout rate for us is two years. I've beaten that almost seven times over.

Career path? Hah. No chance. Hell, I went seven years without a raise. Right now, with the years one I have, brand new officers, right out of the Academy, still wet behind the ears make two dollars an hour more than I.

Bitter? Nah...not me. I've loved what I've done. I've saved lives. I've made a tangibile difference in lots of people's lives. I've grown up a lot in my time on the job and I wouldn't trade a moment of it. Not many people can say that their job has such an impact, even if it's done largely anonymously.

 

[Sensua]

I had to tell a patient today...that her baby was dead, and the spotting she was having was the beginging of a miscariage.



Not all days are like that....but lately there have been TOO MANY!

 

[Sabineteas]

I saw this today and I was feeling sorry for myself and wanted to bitch until I read some of the posts from health care workers.

I have a greater respect for the things that they must go through every day. I applaud all of you, be it in a clinic, hospital, nursing home or hospice.

All of a sudden a demanding, sometimes brusque and abrasive boss doesn't seem as bad as it did a few minutes ago.

 

[BlondGirl]

All of a sudden a demanding, sometimes brusque and abrasive boss doesn't seem as bad as it did a few minutes ago.

He he he. Next time the boss gets on your ass about something, look directly at him and picture him alone in a room with me and box of tape and an exam table. (very evil laugh)


Thanks everyone for your input. It seems that the things that take the most out of us is just other people.

(Oh, BTW, the patient who was supposed to be there at opening this morning decided to no-show. LOL--I debated all day about calling her and telling her to get her ass in there now! But instead I used the time to get caught up on my desk top and actually cleared the thing. I actually saw the wood that is the top of the desk. Not just a little peek either, but the entire freaking top. I am debating about taking a picture of it to remind myself later that it really can be possible. I think I carried between 40 and 50 charts to the file guy today. What a feeling of accomplishment!)